Table of Contents

Guillermo Del Toro

Birth

Guillermo del Toro Gómez was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on October 9, 1964.1)

Catholic

He grew up in a devout Catholic family.2)

8 Year Old Beginner

Del Toro began playing with his father's Super 8 camera when he was approximately eight years old, producing short films with Planet of the Apes toys and other materials.3)

Serial Killer Potato

One short featured a “serial killer potato” with global ambitions; it slaughtered del Toro's mother and brothers before walking outdoors and getting smashed by a vehicle.4)

Studies

Del Toro attended Guadalajara's Centro de Investigación and Estudios Cinematográficos.5)

La Hora Marcada

Along with renowned Mexican directors such as Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuarón, he created and directed four episodes of the cult series La Hora Marcada.6)

Dick Smith

Del Toro studied make-up and special effects with special-effects artist Dick Smith.7)

Necropia

He worked as a special-effects makeup artist for ten years before starting his own firm, Necropia.8)

Guadalajara International Film Festival

He also helped to establish the Guadalajara International Film Festival.9)

Tequila Gang

Later in his career, he established his own production company, the Tequila Gang.10)

Deal With Monsters

The young del Toro, like many youngsters, was afraid by the prospect of terrible entities pursuing him. The filmmaker believes he struck a deal with the monsters in order for them to leave him alone, giving rise to the delightfully twisted creatures seen in Cronos, Hellboy, and Pan's Labyrinth.11)

Mimic

Miramax Films gave Guillermo a $30 million budget to shoot Mimic in 1997, when he was 33 years old.12)

Make-up Course

In 1987, the filmmaker enrolled in Smith's make-up course in New York, and the two became fast friends.13)

Horror As Political

Del Toro sees horror as fundamentally political, noting, “Much like fairy tales, horror has two aspects”. One is pro-institution, which is the most heinous form of fairy tale: Don't go wandering into the woods, and always follow your parents. The second kind of fairy tale is anarchic and anti-establishment“.14)

Hobbit

Peter Jackson hired del Toro in April 2008 to direct the live-action film adaptation of J. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Del Toro departed the production on May 2010, due to extended delays caused by MGM's financial problems.15)

Co-Writer In Hobbit

He is recognized as a co-writer in An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies, despite not directing the films.16)

Cannes Film Festival

He was chosen to serve on the Cannes Film Festival's main competition jury in 2015.17)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Del Toro appeared as Pappy McPoyle in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century” in February 2016.18)

Best Known Picture

Del Toro's best-known picture is the 2006 fantasy Pan's Labyrinth, which received widespread praise.19)

Pan's Labyrinth Plot

Pan's Labyrinth is a brutal and compelling fusion of a Spanish Civil War tragedy and a fairy tale, forcing us to question the nature of reality: are we doomed to live in a violent world, or is there a fantasy, pain-free realm to which we might escape after death?20)

Companion To Devil's Backbone

Del Toro envisioned Pan's Labyrinth as a conceptual companion piece to The Devil's Backbone, his 2001 picture set in 1939 Spain.21)

One For Them, One For Me

Del Toro personifies the 'one for them, one for me' attitude. His Hollywood productions, which include Mimic, Blade II, the Hellboy films, and Pacific Rim, have much higher budgets and stars than his Spanish films.22)

Drought

There are extremely few real flames or sparks in Pan's Labyrinth due to a drought. When del Toro shot his picture in Segovia, Spain, the region was facing its worst drought in 30 years, so his crew had to be inventive.23)

Father Kidnapped

His father, automotive mogul Federico del Toro, was abducted in Guadalajara at the time. Although he was finally released unharmed, del Toro's family was forced to pay twice the sum originally requested owing to heavy economic pressure from his kidnappers.24)

Moving Abroad

Del Toro, his parents, and his siblings relocated to another country as a result of the incident. In an interview with Time magazine, he stated, “Every day, every week, something happens that reminds me that I am in involuntary exile from my nation”.25)

Pinocchio

He's working on a darker animated Pinocchio.26)

inSANE

He almost created the video game inSANE.27)

Wife

He is married to Lorenza Newton, the cousin of Guadalupe Pineda, a Mexican singer.28)

Seperate House For Art

In addition to the home where he lives with his family, he has a second residence where he keeps his books, poster artwork, and other work-related items. The mansion, dubbed “The Bleak House,” boasts blood-red drapes and houses all of the numerous animals he has gathered over the years, both from his films and from other sources.29)

Little Too Liberal

Del Toro defined his political views as “a touch too liberal” in a 2007 interview. He noted that the villains in most of his works, such as the industrialist in Cronos, the Nazis in Hellboy, and the Francoists in Pan's Labyrinth, have the trait of authoritarianism. “I despise structure.” In terms of faith in institutions, I am entirely anti-structural. They irritate me. “I despise every social, religious, or economic institution”.30)